Prof Lawrence Mzukisi Madikizela

Lawrence Madikizela is an associate professor of analytical and environmental research at UNISA, where he also holds a portfolio of being the thematic area leader for his research focus area (Analytical and Environmental Research). He graduated with a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Witwatersrand in 2017. Professor Lawrence Madikizela is an NRF Y-rated researcher whose work is unique in South Africa with its major focus on the environmental monitoring of pharmaceuticals, pioneering sample preparation procedures, monitoring and remediation studies. He further researches the uptake of organics by plants as well as identification and quantitation of pharmaceuticals in marine and coastal environment. His work has provided the baseline information on the identification and nature of environmental pollutants which is crucial for the development of policies to combat environmental pollution.

Prof Madikizela spent a year as a Visiting Researcher at the University of the Witwatersrand between 2020 and 2021, and over the course of his career, he has won the South African Chromatographer of the Year Award (2018); DUT’s Junior Researcher of the Year Award (2018); SACI Merck Medal (2019), SACI Raikes Medal (2022) and NRF Research Excellence Award for Early Career/Emerging Researchers (2023). His other recognitions include his inclusion in The Top 40 Under 40 Power List (2022) published by the Analytical Scientist, and his nomination as a South African representative in the 13th HOPE Meeting held with Nobel Laureates in Japan on 07 – 11 March 2022.

Prof Madikizela is playing a vital role in the scientific community as he is currently serving as the National Chairperson for ChromSA which is a division of the South African Chemical Institute and serves as the Editor-in-Chief for South African Journal of Chemistry. His other editorial roles include being a Guest Editor for Frontiers in Environmental Science and Guest Editor for Molecules. He is also an Associate Editor for Frontiers in Environmental Science and an Editorial Board Member for Elsevier Journal: Forensic Science International – Animals and Environments.

He has occupied various roles in academia such as being a senior laboratory technician, lecturer, senior lecturer and now associate professor in different universities such as University of Fort Hare, Walter Sisulu University, Durban University of Technology, Mangosuthu University of Technology and University of South Africa.